Scissors sharpener



Sept. 20, 1955 w THOMPSON 2,718,099

SCISSORS SHARPENER Filed Dec. 24, 1952 E2 .8. a 9 Fag .1.

y; ww z T s-w a0 ,9 w 4 M ffomey United States PatentOflice 2,718,099 Patented Sept. 20, 1955 SCISSORS SHARPENER Willis F. Thompson, Portland,.Maine Application December 24, 1952, Serial No. 327,861

6 Claims. (Cl. 51-158) This invention relates to a scissorssharpener.

One object of the invention is to provide a scissors sharpener which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, but is extremely effective in. sharpening scissors.

A further object of the invention is to provide a scissors sharpener in which the cutting action of the abrasive element on the scissors blade is always'in a direction at right angles to the length of the blade.

Other objects of the invention are to improve scissors sharpeners in the various particulars hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings wherein a selected embodiment of the invention is shown:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a scissors sharpener embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view looking toward the right in Fig. 1. 1

Fig. 3 is a side view.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on the line 44, Fig. 1.

Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views through a scissors blade showing different angels at which the blade may be sharpened.

Fig. 7 is a view of the combined scissors-clamping and index member.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged section through the scissors holder on the line 4-4, Fig. 1.

The device herein illustrated comprises a stone holder 1 which has a flat bottom 2 adapted to rest on a table 3 or other support and which also has at one side an upstanding guiding flange 4. Mounted on the bottom 2 of the stone holder 1 is an abrasive element 5 which will be hereinafter referred to as the stone although it may be made of any suitable abrasive material.

The upstanding flange 4 has mounted thereon a slide support 6 which has a body portion that overlies the flange 4, the upper edge of the support 6 being bent over the flange as shown at 7, thereby retaining the support in place. The support 6 extends below the bottom of the holder 1, thereby forming a lip portion 8 which, when the holder 1 is placed on a table 3, engages the edge of the table as shown in Fig. 2, thereby serving to position the device on the table.

The support 6 has mounted thereon for reciprocating movement a slide 9 which carries a scissors holding element. The upper edge of the slide 9 is bent over the top of the support 6, as shown at 22, and the lower edge of the slide partially encircles the lower edge of the support 6 and thereby the slide is guided on the support in its reciprocating movement.

As stated above, the slide 9 carries a scissors holding element by which a pair of scissors may be held in the position shown in the drawings with one blade 11 of the scissors clamped to the slide 9 and extending in a substantially vertical position and the other blade extending at right angles to the flange 4 and overlying the stone so that when the slide is moved lengthwise of the guiding flange 4 and support 6 the edge of the blade 10 will have a sharpening contact with the top face of the stone 5. Inasmuch as the blade 10 extends at right angles to the direction of movement of the slide, the cutting action on the blade will be at right angles to its length.

The scissorsholder comprises a block 12 which is mounted on the side of the slide 9 and which has a flat positioning face 13 against which the flat face of the blade 11 rests. Said block also has associated there with a resilient clamping member 14 which engages the other side of the blade 11 and which yieldingly holds said-blade against the positioning face 13. i

The block 12 is adjustably secured to the slide 9 so that the face 13 may 'be adjusted into different angular positions relative to the vertical, and by this means the scissors holder can be adjusted so that the edge 15- of the blade which is to be ground will be parallel to the face of the stone 5. In the present construction the slide 9 has a clamping screw 16 extending therefrom on which the block 12 is mounted, and a clamping nut 17 is screw threaded to the outer end of the clamping screw 16 so that by tightening the nut 17 the block 12 will'be securely clamped against the slide 9 in any adjusted position.

In using the scissors sharpener the blade 11 will be inserted between the block 12 and the reciprocating clamping member 14 with the point of the blade directed downwardly and the flat face of the blade resting against grasping the block 12 and moving the slide 9 longitudinallyof the support 6 with the edge 15 of the blade in errgagement with the upper surface of the stone 5.

As stated above, since the blade 10 being sharpened ex tends at right angles to the direction of the movement of the slide, the cutting action on any point in the edge 15 will'be in a direction at right angles to the blade.

The angle of the edge 15 of the scissors bladeto besharpened varies in different makes of scissors and in scissors intended for different uses.

In order to provide for grinding the edge 15 at the correct angle the block 12 is adjustably secured to the slide 9 so as to vary the inclination of the face 13. This adjustment can be made by loosening the clamping nut 17 and turning the block 12 slightly about the screw 16, and when the correct adjustment has been secured the tightening of the clamping nut 17 will hold the block in its adjusted position.

To assist in correctly adjusting the block, the holder is provided with an index finger 19 which cooperates with indicating marks 18 formed on the slide 9 as best seen in Fig. 3.

In the interests of simplicity, the indexing finger 19 and the clamping member 14 are made from the same piece of metal which presents a flat body portion 29 received in a recess 21 formed in the back side of the block 12 and through which the clamping screw 16 extends. This body portion is bent to form the clamping part 14 which engages the scissors blade and the body portion is extended to form the index element 19.

If the cut on the edge 15 is to be made at a small angle, i. e. at 15 angle, then the block will be adjusted as indicated in Fig. 3, but if the cut is to be made at a greater angle, as indicated in Fig. 6, then the block maybe adjusted so that the index finger 19 will register with the 30 indication on the slide.

The slide 9 will preferably be made with a loose fit on the support 6 so that during the back stroke of the scissors the slide may be tipped very slightly to raise the blade 10 from the stone. During the forward stroke, however, the blade 10 will be brought against the stone 5.

I claim:

1. A scissors sharpener comprising a stone holding element having a stationary, elongated, straight upstanding guiding flange, a stone stationarily carried by said stone holding element at one side of said stationary flange and having its top surface located thereabout, a slide mounted on and embracing said stationary guiding flange and. located on the outer side thereof, said slide being adapted for reciprocating movement lengthwise of said flange but held from movement transversely thereof, and being located entirely at one side of the stone, and a scissors holder mounted on said slide, said scissors holder having clamping means to hold one blade of a pair of scissors in a substantially vertical position with the other blade extending across the guiding flange and at right angles to the length thereof and overlying the stone, whereby movement of the slide lengthwise of the guiding flange produces a cutting action of the stone on said other scissors blade in a direction at right angles to the length of the blade.

2. A scissors sharpener as defined in claim 1 and which includes means for adjusting the scissors holder to vary the angle of the plane of the scissors blade being ground relative to the operative surface of the stone.

3. A scissors sharpener as defined in claim 1 in which the scissors holder comprises a block having a flat face located at right angles to the guiding flange and extending in a generally vertical direction, a clamping member carried by the block and between which and said flat face one blade of the scissors is clamped with the other blade extending across the guiding flange at right angles thereto and means securing the block to the slide for adjustment to vary the inclination of said flat face.

4. A scissors sharpener comprising a stone holding element having a straight upstanding guiding flange, a stone stationarily carried by said stone holder and situated along side of said flange, a slide mounted on said guiding flange for reciprocating movement lengthwise thereof but held thereby from movement transversely thereto, a clamping screw extending laterally from the slide at right angles to the guiding flange, a block mounted on said screw and having a flat face extending at right angles to the guiding flange, a clamping member carried by the block for clamping one blade of a pair of scissors to the flat face with the other blade extending transversely of the flange and across the stone, and a nut screw-threaded on said screw for clamping the block to the slide, said block being turnable about said screw to vary the inclination of said flat face and thereby the angle at which the edge of said other scissors blade will be ground.

5. A scissors sharpener as defined in claim 4 in which the block has an index finger which cooperates with markings on the slide to indicate the adjusted position of the block.

6. A scissors sharpener comprising a stone holder having a fiat bottom to rest on a table or other support and also having a straight upturned guiding flange, a stone stationarily supported on the bottom of the stone holder,

7 a slide support stationarily mounted onsaid flange and extending the length thereof and also projecting below the bottom of the stone holding element to provide a positioning lip adapted to rest against the edge of the table or support on which the stone holder is supported,

a slide mounted on said slide support for reciprocating movement longitudinally thereof but held thereby from movement transversely thereto, and a scissors holder mounted on said slide, said scissors holder having clamping means to hold one blade of a pair of scissors in a sub- 7 stantially vertical position with the other blade extending at right angles to the length of the guiding flange and overlying the stone.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

